I am 25 and a working woman. I have a loving family-father, mother, younger sister, and brother. But I was never a priority for any of them. Of course, they love me and care for me, but I am the elder daughter, always trying to meet their expectations, compromise, sacrifice my freedom, and not complain. Then I met a guy whose mindset aligns with mine. He was perfect for me, and I am sure my life would be happy with him. Most importantly, he prioritizes me. He lost his parents, and since then, I have been his only hope, and he became more attached to me. Our bond grew stronger and stronger.
But we belong to different religions, and we have clarity on how to lead our lives without either of us converting to the other’s religion. It’s been two years, and my family doesn’t accept it.
Initially, there was emotional blackmail, blaming, and scolding from my parents. I kept calm all the time and only spoke back when I had to take a stand for my happiness. Eventually, my parents stopped talking to me. I used to think from my parents’ perspective and understood the complications they have to face. So I promised them that I was not going to leave them. I also told them I would rather stay single but would never marry another guy. I had many sleepless nights, depression, and mental torture, but no one even cared about what I was going through.
My boyfriend said he would wait until they accepted and left the final decision to me. I really don’t want to lose him. They always blame me for hurting them. Even my siblings stopped talking to me, and my sister blamed me for my parents’ suffering. She used to say that I never loved my parents and that if she were in my place, she would never do anything that hurt them.
My parents decided to fix my sister’s marriage. I was initially against it as I thought it would be pressure on her. She is 23 and working. I even thought to take a stand for her if she was not okay with marriage. Since she used to say she would never hurt them, I thought she would accept it. But to my surprise, she said no, and that worsened the situation in my house. My father is more worried as both of us are not ready to marry.
Now again, they started blaming only me. Why is it always me since childhood? Even my sister is acting like everything is my fault, and her decision has nothing to do with this situation.
Question: Am I overreacting? Am I at fault?
Option 1: Yes
Option 2: No